CSEC results vindicate efforts at equity education delivery
THE Ministry of Education has reported that the results of the recent Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate (CSEC) examinations have indicated that the effort being made by Government to ensure equity in delivery is bearing fruit. The ministry, in a release, disclosed that schools outside of Georgetown have performed well at the CSEC and, according to data from its Examinations Division, four of them made it into the top 10 list this year.
Those institutions are:

* President’s College, in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica), with a 96.09 per cent pass rate;

* Mackenzie High School, in Region 10 (Upper Demerara/ Upper Berbice), with a 94.1 per cent pass rate;

* Anna Regina Multilateral School, in Region Two (Pomeroon/Supenaam), with a 90.09 per cent pass rate and

* New Amsterdam Multilateral School, in Region Six (East Berbice/Corentyne), with an 89.3 per cent pass rate.

The other schools that complete the top 10 list are Queen’s College (QC) (98 per cent); Bishops’ High School (BHS) (97.06 per cent); St Rose’s High School (93.3 per cent); St. Joseph’s High School (90.09 per cent); St. Stanislaus College (90.4 per cent) and Central High School with 89.6 per cent.
The release said seven other rural schools performed commendably and are on the list of the top 20 best performers. They are Annandale Secondary, in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica), with an 89.02 pass rate; West Demerara Secondary School, in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara), with 87.4 per cent; Berbice High School with 87 per cent and J.C. Chandisingh Secondary School with 84.3 per cent, both in Region Six; Abram’s Zuil Secondary in Region Two with 83.8 per cent and Zeeburg Secondary School in Region Three with 76.7 per cent and Skeldon Line Path Secondary School with 75.8 per cent in Region Six, as well.
The other schools on the list are Brickdam Secondary with 86.3 per cent; Christ Church Secondary with 83.7 per cent and Ruimveldt Secondary with 81.3 per cent, all in Georgetown.
Other rural schools that performed notably well are Cove and John Secondary, in Region Four with 75.5 per cent; Silver City Secondary, in Region 10 with 74 per cent; Bygeval Secondary, in Region Five (Mahaica/Berbice) with 73.6 per cent; Tagore Memorial Secondary in Region Six with 73.2 per cent; Bladen Hall Secondary, in Region Four with 72.7 per cent; St. Ignatius Secondary, in Region Nine (Upper Takutu/Upper Essequibo) with 71.9 per cent; Berbice Educational Institute, in Region Six with 71 per cent; Covent Garden Secondary, in Region Four with 69.7 per cent and Mahaicony Secondary, in Region Five with 69 per cent; Patentia Secondary, in Region Three with 66.5 per cent; Rosignol Secondary, in Region Five with 64.8 per cent and L’Aventure Secondary and Leguan Secondary, both in Region Three with 64.1 per cent and 62.1 per cent, respectively. At the regional level, Region Four secured a pass rate of 71.5 per cent to move ahead of Georgetown with 70.8 per cent and become the most successful region in the country at the CSEC.
The ministry said that achievement can be credited to the hard-working and dedicated teachers in the school system, particularly, those in the rural schools.
That aside, the progress in realising equity in education has been made possible through numerous interventions by Government, including the training and upgrading of teachers, improving access to education, modernising school infrastructure throughout the country and making available more learning resources to both students and teachers.